Is it OK to believe in something that is not true?

[_neworder]

Today I have been reading about Akiane Kramarik.

For those that don't know, Akiane Kramarik is considered a Child Prodigy because she talks to God and paints images better than most 10-12 year old kids. She has received a lot of attention and was even on Oprah. Her parents have quit their jobs and now manage her full time selling her artwork for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There has been some speculation that she might not be the true artist around her work. KUTV did a news article about this which you can read here.

What I found really interesting though is comment #248 left on this web site.

If this is a hoax, and Akiane isn’t really doing the painting herself, I really could care less. It is Akiane (and all of this) that has brought me to God and made me feel complete... hoax or not, I am still extremely grateful. If a hoax is what it took to make me see the light, so be it... And if, in the end, the light is a hoax as well, believing in it has still made me a happier, healthier, more successful person.

So what do others think. Is it OK to believe in something that is not true if it makes you a "happier, healthier, more successful person."?

[_Chap]

Today I have been reading about Akiane Kramarik.

For those that don't know, Akiane Kramarik is considered a Child Prodigy because she talks to God and paints images better than most 10-12 year old kids. She has received a lot of attention and was even on Oprah. Her parents have quit their jobs and now manage her full time selling her artwork for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There has been some speculation that she might not be the true artist around her work. KUTV did a news article about this which you can read here.

What I found really interesting though is comment #248 left on this web site.

If this is a hoax, and Akiane isn’t really doing the painting herself, I really could care less. It is Akiane (and all of this) that has brought me to God and made me feel complete... hoax or not, I am still extremely grateful. If a hoax is what it took to make me see the light, so be it... And if, in the end, the light is a hoax as well, believing in it has still made me a happier, healthier, more successful person.

So what do others think. Is it OK to believe in something that is not true if it makes you a "happier, healthier, more successful person."?

I am not equipped to say whether it is, in general "OK" to do this.

But the fact that people can feel this way (and admit it) is a revealing piece of the psychopathology of everyday life that one should certainly bear in mind when one hears strong affirmations of belief, accompanied by urgings to adopt the beliefs of the speaker.

[_cksalmon]

So what do others think. Is it OK to believe in something that is not true if it makes you a "happier, healthier, more successful person."?

To put it in the most simple terms, the positive statement--in the light of a generic utilitarianism--holds that if something "works" it is "true." it may well do so, but I don't believe that's a position of genuine, personal authenticity.

I would affirm, however, on the other hand, that if something is "true," it will "work."

Contrary beliefs, to my mind.

To my mind, no, it is not ultimately "okay" to believe something that is not true just because it makes you feel, in some sense, "happier," whatever that may mean.

That sufficiently covers the philosophical, universally accessible, take on the question you've asked, I'd think.

Best.

Chris

[_JonasS]

I think it is ok, unless it has negative impact on other peoples lives.

[_Thama]

As CK said, from the utilitarian POV, if it makes you happy without causing suffering to others, it is morally good. However, this perspective also demands that one's choices cause pleasure/happiness to be maximized in general, as well as generally minimizing pain/suffering, to be the best moral decision.

Believing something that is false but that makes one happy isn't necessarily evil, but it carries some risks. One would be anguish upon rationally discovering the falsity of the belief that one has held and perhaps based their life on. Another would be misdirected efforts to do good for self and others based on this belief--these efforts may be far more useful and effective if the person's beliefs were better informed.

For example, a belief in the ability of alchemy to solve the world's economic woes may give someone a sense of hope and purpose, driving them in the pursuit of alchemy for altruistic purposes. However, these efforts are unlikely to increase the person's happiness as no substantial progress is likely, and the efforts are likely to be at best useless and at worst wasteful for the world at large. In addition, the person faces a high likelihood of psychological anguish at having wasted a large portion of his life in a worthless pursuit if his beliefs are corrected by the observation of reality.

[_beastie]

I really don't know if it's "ok", in a long-term sense, due to the habit of compromised thinking required to sustain the false belief.

[_Tarski]

I am pretty sure that there does not exist a one to one correspondence between beliefs that promote health and happiness and those that are true.
Personally, I can't help seeking the truth to the best of my ability. I just gotta know. I also can't seem to help pointing out falsehoods even if there may serve the person who holds them.

[_cinepro]

It's really the age-old question of a placebo. If a doctor has a patient that isn't responding to conventional medicine, is it unethical for him to give the patient placebo pills? If they make the patient fell better (or cure the patient), has the doctor acted unethically?

[_Ray A]

My apology for this being a bit off the subject, but the OP sent me doing some research on child prodigies. I discovered a very long List. Probably the most baffling was this one, almost difficult to believe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Ung-Yong

I also found that PET scans and other tests revealed that prodigies have different than normal brain functions, with more blood flowing to certain parts of the brain than others. One "Mental calculator" was able to multiply six digit figures in his head at the age of nine. Another could square 18 digit figures in his head at age 10. Quite fascinating. (I mastered the ABC at age 7. Does that count?)

[_The Dude]

Q: Is it okay to believe something that is not true?

A: It depends on how much that belief controls your other choices. If you have no other choices -- like, you're going to die very soon anyway -- then it's okay to believe whatever makes you happy. But if you are young, and able, and have a healthy mind, then it is generally not okay for you to believe untrue things that would control your choices and therefore the whole life ahead of you.